


Party Favors

by Xenobia



Series: The "Alliance" universe [5]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Drugs, Dubious Consent, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-06
Updated: 2012-11-06
Packaged: 2017-11-18 02:47:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/556029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xenobia/pseuds/Xenobia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Unsatisfied with how his previous plot turned out, Rufus devises another plan to trap Cloud and have his way with him.  Reno's loyalty is divided between Cloud and the Turks.  Part of the "Alliance" series.  Takes place after "The Chauffeur".  Trigger warnings may apply for dubious consent situation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Party Favors

“Party favors”

_~****************************************~_

* * *

 

 ***Disclaimer:**   _Final Fantasy and all characters therein belong to Square-Enix.  This fiction piece is strictly a non-profit exercise of creativity and entertainment for people (like me) who can’t get enough of this world and the characters._ * 

~***********************************************~

* * *

 

Reno loved the VIP parties that Rufus occasionally threw for the Turks, but something felt off about this one.  For one thing, Rufus warned him not to talk about the party with anyone else.  The president had booked a special suite on the top floor of the most prestigious hotel in the city.  The suite came with a party room as usual, but this one had a large bedroom connected to it in the back, with a huge, circular bed and a modern fire pit. 

 

Always eager to party, Reno arrived before any of his fellow employees and Rufus wasted no time showing him around.  The redhead’s first thought was that his boss had plans for a Turk sandwich later on, which wasn’t very unusual.  When he was in the mood for this sort of party he only invited Reno, Rude and Tseng.  Elena had long ago learned that some company parties were off limits to her because they were more like planned orgies for the boss and his favorite male Turks.  He couldn’t put his finger on why this felt unusual to him.

 

“You’re gonna spoil us, boss,” Reno said with a grin as he walked around the huge bed and gave Rufus a flirtatious wink.

 

Rufus responded with a sly, quiet smile and Reno felt a chill of premonition go down his spine.  That smile meant something more than sexual promise, he knew by now.  He was beginning to get what was bugging him about this setup.  “Uh, this isn’t just for some tender lovin’ between us all later, is it?”

 

Rufus tilted his head and studied him with cool gray eyes.  “Yes, I have more…elaborate plans for this bedroom, which is why this is a closed party with only you, Tseng and Rude on the guest list.” 

 

The president approached his subordinate and put his arms around him, letting his hands slide down to cup Reno’s ass possessively.  “I’ll explain what’s so special about this gathering when the others get here, though I imagine you’ll guess the surprise before then.”

 

Reno allowed his boss to kiss him deeply, sighing softly against his lips as his tongue thrust into his mouth.  Inwardly he was cringing.  _~I really hope this doesn’t have anything to do with Strife, but the boss is determined to catch him again and teach him a lesson for what he did to us.  Damn…am I gonna have to come up with something to pull Blondie’s ass out of the fire again?~_

The clever redhead was adept at hiding his feelings, or at least masking them enough that even Rufus couldn’t know how much he dreaded the thought of kidnapping Cloud again.  He didn’t have to feign the moan the rose in his throat as Rufus reached between his legs and rubbed his crotch.  Though he’d grown fonder of Cloud Strife than he dared to admit, Reno’s feelings for Rufus remained intact and he had a distinct weakness for the man’s patient authority.  He put his arms around the president and caressed his invading tongue with his own, his breath quickening with pleasure as Rufus massaged his groin until it was stiff in his trousers.

 

“Nobody moans quite like you, Fox,” Rufus purred as he pulled back to study the redhead’s anglular, fair features.  He kissed the tempting, gasping lips one last time before ceasing his stimulation.  He smiled at the dazed lust in Reno’s sea-green eyes and patted him on the rump.  “We’ll finish this later,” he promised as he traced his employee’s lips with his fingertips.

 

~*********************************~

* * *

 

 Reno’s fears were confirmed as the others showed up.  Rufus turned down the music blaring from the stereo system and made an announcement to the three men.

 

When he had their attention, Rufus explained: “I’ve got a special treat for you all tonight—one that I’m sure you’ll all appreciate.”

 

Reno glanced sidelong at Rude and closed his eyes briefly, hoping the boss wasn’t about to say what he thought he was going to say.

 

“You’re all of course aware of the…incident…that occurred weeks ago between myself, Reno and a certain blond-haired mercenary who’s ever been a thorn in the side of ShinRa, Inc.  I’m sure the two of you also share our curiosity concerning this man as well.”

 

Tseng’s face was impassive as always but Reno saw the intrigue in his dark eyes, and Rude shifted a little beside him.  That was one thing about Rufus ShinRa; he could recognize sexual desire or intrigue in even the most hard to read people.  When nobody denied his assumptions concerning their interest in Cloud, the president continued.  “Cloud Strife will be—quite literally—delivering himself right into our hands tonight.  The indignation I’ve suffered at his hands will be rectified and perhaps by the end of the evening, he’ll finally be more willing to work with ShinRa on a more permanent level.”

 

Rude shook his head very slightly with disagreement and Rufus’ cold eyes settled on him.  “You doubt me?”

 

The dark-skinned man straightened and immediately apologized.  “No sir…I just don’t think Strife is going to see things our way overnight, if he could do it at all.  He’s even more stubborn than Reno.”

 

Reno smirked at him and punched him lightly in the arm.  It hardly fazed the bigger man and he reached out and ruffled the redhead’s hair with silent affection.

 

“Then I suppose we’ll have to schedule follow-up appointments if necessary.”  Rufus looked at Tseng searchingly.  “What about you, Tseng?  Do you have any thoughts on this endeavor?”  Tseng had always been sensible, thoughtful and unfailingly trustworthy.

 

“I think it’s the most insane recruitment plan I’ve ever heard,” The Turk leader said without hesitation, brushing his glossy raven hair over his shoulder. “It’s utter madness, in fact.”  Before Rufus could even scowl, he added; “But it’s intriguing madness, all the same.  I admit, there is something about Strife that I’ve always found…interesting.  The effort alone should prove entertaining, if nothing else.”

 

Rufus smiled, pleased with the response.  His eyes settled on Reno and there was something challenging in them.  “And you?  I couldn’t help but notice during the last encounter that it took some time for you to show your normal enthusiasm.  Are you conflicted, Reno?”

 

There was really only one acceptable answer to that.  Reno grinned toothily at his boss and shrugged.  “You know I don’t have a problem as long as he’s willing, Sir.  It’s just…”  He paled as long-buried memories tried to rush to the surface, filling his mouth with a horrible dryness and making him want to gag.  He swallowed and frowned, averting his gaze.  Rufus was the only one that knew…the only one that had any idea of what he’d been forced to do to survive before he recruited him.  If it hadn’t been for Rufus he’d have lost his virginity by force, eventually.

 

The president’s eyes softened slightly and he nodded with understanding.  “You don’t have to worry about that, Reno.  As with before, he’ll be willing in the end.”  He studied his stunning subordinate for a moment, feeling a rare surge of compassion.  “Perhaps you shouldn’t participate in this, if it bothers you so much.”

 

In a moment of weakness, Reno almost took him up on that offer.  It would have saved him from having to choose between obeying his boss and saving Cloud’s ass again.  The problem was if he did as Rufus suggested, he couldn’t be here to put a stop to it if things got out of hand.  He’d never felt so torn in his life and he didn’t like it one bit.  “Yo, I’m not a puss.  I know you’ll have Blondie begging for it in no time, so I can handle it, Sir.”

 

Rufus smiled at him and his pulse raced in response.  As conniving and dirty as the man could be, his smiles always sent a thrill through the redhead.  Reno considered the situation and sighed inwardly.  His unwanted feelings for Cloud only allowed one choice, and it was a risky one.  “I’m gonna use the little Turk’s room, yo,” he announced to his companions. 

 

Nobody objected and Rufus turned the music back on, chatting alternately with Tseng and Rude.  Reno crossed the room and went through the bedroom door, deigning to use the more private bathroom in there.  He started to break out into a nervous sweat as he agonized over what he had to do and he hoped that none of his associates suspected anything.

 

~***********************************~

* * *

 

“Strife delivery service.”

 

“Yo Cloud, wassup?”

 

Cloud checked his watch and tried to ignore the way his heart thudded in response to the sound of Reno’s voice.  “I’m at a rest stop on the way to make a delivery…to Junon, in fact.  Are you in the city tonight?”

 

_~Shit, why did I have to ask that?  Not smooth…not smooth at all.  I might as well just tell him I want to hook up and screw his brains out again.~_

“Yeah, I’m in town.  Hey, that delivery you’ve got?  Don’t make it, man.”  Reno’s tone was unusually serious and his voice sounded tense.

 

Cloud frowned.  “What do you mean, ‘don’t make it’?  I can’t just blow it off.  I can meet up with you somewhere afterwards if you want—“

 

“No, you airhead!” Reno hissed urgently, “I’m telling you, DON’T take this delivery!  I’m trying to cover your ass here, babe.”

 

The blonde’s frown became a scowl.  “Let me guess…Rufus.”

 

“Yeah,” Reno said in a tired tone, “let’s just say he’s throwing a party tonight and he wants you to be the ‘guest of honor’.”

 

Cloud sighed deeply and rubbed the bridge of his nose.  “So that’s it.  Here I’d hoped he’d finally given up on his crazy schemes.”  He quieted and thought over the matter, a slow, dangerous grin tugging on his lips.

 

“Cloud?  You there?”  Reno sounded more nervous than he’d ever sounded before.

 

“Yeah, I’m still here.  Listen, get off of that floor.  I don’t care what excuse you’ve got to make.  In fact, it would be best if you left the building altogether.  Say you’re going out for party favors or something.”

 

Reno pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it for a moment.  He slowly brought it back to his ear again and murmured, “What the hell are you planning, Blondie?”

 

“I’m putting an end to this,” Cloud said firmly, “if I have to finish the job Diamond weapon started on Rufus to do it, tough shit.”

 

Reno’s eyes widened to blue-green discs in his face.  “Hold it,” he said desperately, “just don’t deliver the package and it’ll be fine, yo!”

 

“Oh, I’m going to deliver a package all right,” Cloud growled.  “It’ll be a blast…pun intended!  I want you out of that building, Reno.  I’m serious.”

 

“Wait, man,” Reno practically begged, “I can’t let you do this and besides that, it’s not like you!  Think about it, Strife; this is a hotel full of other people that ain’t got a damned thing to do with us.  You really wanna set a bomb and get other people hurt or killed just to get at the Turks?”

 

“You’ve got room to talk,” Cloud said in a low, dangerous tone.  “You blew up the pillar that—“

 

“I know, I fucking know!” Reno snapped, swallowing as old guilt curdled in his gut like bad milk, “I’m fucking slime, okay?  But you’re not…you’re…decent.  I’ll think of something else, just don’t do this ‘cause if you try I’m gonna have to stop you.”

 

Cloud paused.  Reno…with a conscience?  He knew better though.  His loyalty to his coworkers and the president far outweighed any concerns he might have for civilians.  He was right though; Cloud wasn’t like the Turks and if he let them drive him to do something so radical he might as well just join their ranks.  “Okay, what’s your idea, hotshot?”

 

Reno dragged his fingers through his hair and sighed with relief.  “I dunno yet,” he admitted, “but believe me, I’ll come up with something if you’re gonna insist on making this delivery.  Don’t suppose I can convince you to just let me handle it, yo?”

 

“Not a chance,” Cloud answered, “I want to see that bastard get what’s coming to him.  Figure something out before I show up, Reno.  If you don’t, I’ll find a way to clear that floor of innocent people and they’ll be picking up pieces of your boss for weeks.”

 

~**********************************~

* * *

 

Cloud honestly had no way to build a bomb at short notice and it wasn’t something he could just pick up at a local hardware store.  What he did have in his storage compartments were a couple canisters of sleeping gas and a few grenades.  His first impulse was to pack the delivery box with the grenades, so pissed off and tired of Rufus’ games that he wanted to kill him.  After a moment’s reflection, he sighed and shook his head, choosing the sleeping gas instead. 

 

As angry as he was, he knew that if he resorted to murder he’d regret it later and the thought of Reno getting hurt made his chest ache.  He’d figure out what to do to Rufus after he had him subdued.  Reno had sounded convincingly alarmed over the phone when Cloud made his initial threat, so the blonde was confident that the he would come up with something out of the fear of his boss getting blown up.

 

 After making his preparations, he called Tifa and told her he might not be back until the next day.  He left the rest stop to finish the trip Junon Harbor, fully armed and ready to teach the rest of the Turks the same lesson he’d taught Rufus and Reno.

 

~****************************************~

* * *

 

Reno figured he’d set a new record for himself at speed and efficiency.  Being the horny redhead that he was, the first thing he came up with to keep his boss and fellow Turks from molesting Cloud was…sex.  If they were too busy screwing each other they wouldn’t be able to concentrate on manhandling Strife, so he came up with what he thought was another one of his brilliant ideas.  He did as Cloud advised and told Rufus he wanted to get some party favors, which seemed to reassure the president that he was willing and able to participate in tonight’s scheduled event.

 

As soon as he left the building, Reno called everyone he knew that might have an idea where to score some ecstasy.  While his drug use was generally limited to clove cigarettes and alcohol, he knew people that would know where to get the best of it.  His efforts paid off after a few calls and he chased up the lead he was given, promising the dealer he’d pay double the price if he could get it to him within the hour.  They met up in the Hotel lounge public bathroom and made the exchange under the stall doors.

 

Before heading back upstairs to carry out his plan, Reno dialed Cloud’s number and tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for him to pick up. 

 

“This is Cloud,” the blonde said, evidently having seen Reno’s number on the caller ID.  He was hard to hear over the wind and the sound of the motor, but the sound lessened after a moment and Reno guessed that he’d pulled over to talk.

 

“I got it taken care of,” Reno said.  “I’m about to give the boys some party favors they’ll never forget, yo.  You gonna give up this plan to blow my guys up?”

 

Cloud was silent for a moment, considering.  “What are you doing?”

 

Reno smirked.  “Let’s just say by the time you get here, they’ll all be too busy to worry about you.  I’m spiking the drinks with X, man.”

 

Cloud was glad that he had pulled off the road because he surely would have wrecked if he’d been driving when he heard that.  “YOU’RE DOING WHAT??”

 

“Easy Blondie!” Reno said defensively, “It’ll wear off in the morning!  Can you think of a better way than sex to distract a pack of men?”

 

Cloud gritted his teeth.  “You really think it’s a bright idea to give a group of guys intent on jumping my ass a drug that’ll make them horny?  Are you nuts?”

 

“Well, yeah,” Reno said with a flush of annoyance, “Think about it man—if they’re too busy fucking each other they aren’t going to bother manhandling you, yo.”

 

Cloud groaned.  There was certain logic to Reno’s point but it definitely didn’t follow the normal path.  “You’d better be right about this.  To me it sounds like waving a red flag in front of a bull, but you know your buddies better than I do.”

 

“Trust me,” assured the redhead, “I know what I’m doing.  It’ll be fine.”

 

“What are you planning to tell them when they wake up tomorrow and realize what happened?” Cloud inquired ominously.

 

“Uh, I guess I’ll have to wing it.”

 

Cloud sighed again.  Reno was treading on dangerous ground and he didn’t like it one bit.  “I’ll definitely have to show up now.  I’ll write a note taking credit for their condition so that they won’t suspect you.”

 

Reno felt a throb of warmth in his chest and he stifled it as best he could.  “That’s real decent of you, Cloud.  Thanks, man.”

 

Cloud shrugged.  “I’m just returning the favor.  You covered my ass, so I’m going to cover yours.  See you in an hour or so.”

 

~************************************~

* * *

 

Reno returned to the party and passed out the placebo favors he’d picked up to cover his story.  Rufus lifted a bottle of strawberry flavored body oil out of his bag and raised an eyebrow. 

 

Reno shrugged.  “You’ve already got every kind of vibrator under the sun, boss.  I figured I couldn’t go wrong with a tasty treat.”

 

Tseng opened his goody bag and found a pair of edible undies, which made him smirk subtly. 

 

Rude opened his bag and sighed with exasperation. “Ha-fucking-ha.  Conditioning shampoo.  You’re a real joker, man.”

 

“Oops,” Reno said quickly, trading bags with him, “That’s mine, yo.  Guess I got ‘em mixed up.”

 

Pacified, Rude opened the new bag and reached in to pull out a small pistol.  “Uh…”

 

“It’s a lube applicator,” Reno snickered, “Or you could load it with the boss’s tasty body oil and squirt it all over Strife…or whoever.”

 

Rude grinned whitely, examining the ingenious, realistic gun with new interest.  “Cool.”

 

Reno imagined his partner pushing it up someone’s ass to lube them up and he was caught between amusement and arousal at the mental picture.  Cloud was right; he was kind of twisted.  “Well, let’s break open some of the good stuff and hang out ‘till the guest gets here, yo.”

 

Reno went to the bar and opened a couple of bottles of champagne, covertly dropping two tablets of ecstasy in each one.  He also slipped a couple into the open bottle of whiskey for good measure, trying to make sure that all of his companions got a dose.  If he didn’t notice it taking affect on them after a half hour, he’d give them some more.  Knowing their favorite poisons, he poured champagne for Rufus and Tseng before making a whiskey sour for Rude.  For himself, he chose an unopened bottle of beer from the mini fridge.

 

“It’s gonna be a hell of a night,” Reno grinned at each of them as he handed their drinks to them. 

 

“It certainly will, if it goes as planned,” Rufus agreed, patting the redhead on the rump after taking his champagne flute from him.

 

  _~Oh Sir, if you only knew.  I’m sorry, Rufus.~_

Reno kept his guilty thoughts carefully hidden and opened his beer, drinking up with his companions and praying to gods he didn’t even believe in that his plan would work.  After a while, they took their seats on the expensive leather couches in the center of the party room and relaxed.  Rufus rested his hand intimately on Tseng’s knee as they drank and chatted, while Rude put an arm around Reno’s shoulders and played with his ponytail.  Reno appointed himself as the bartender and he noticed that Rufus was drinking more slowly than everyone else.

 

“You feeling okay, Sir?”  Reno asked, nervous that the president wasn’t getting a good enough dose of the good stuff.  “You’re drinking pretty slow tonight, yo.”

 

“I’d rather not imbibe to the point where it will affect my performance,” Rufus said coolly, “I want to be awake and aware of every whimper, moan and plea that comes out of Strife’s pretty mouth.”

 

Reno resisted the urge to worry his lower lip as he took the flute that Rufus finally drained and went to pour him another. 

 

_~I’m gonna have to give him a direct hit, otherwise my plan is doomed.~_

 

Reno opened a fresh bottle of champagne and dropped a whole tablet into the glass before pouring it.  The little bit that Rufus had gotten from that one glass he’d drank earlier wasn’t going to be enough and Reno would just give him untainted champagne after this glass, to be sure he didn’t accidentally overdose him.  He poured Rude another mixed drink and realized the whiskey bottle was only a fourth full.  He pulled a new bottle out of the cupboard and opened it, debating on whether he should drop more tablets in.

 

“What’s the holdup, Reno?”

 

Distracted by Rude’s demanding question, the redhead absently dropped two tablets into the new bottle and screwed the cap back on.  “I was just getting another bottle out, yo.”

 

He hurried back to his companions, careful not to slosh any of the liquor.  After handing out the refills he took his seat beside Rude again.  He smirked when his partner took a hefty gulp of his drink and leaned closer to him, nuzzling his hair.

 

“You smell so good,” Rude murmured, slipping a hand into the open V of Reno’s shirt.  The redhead responded by turning his head to kiss his partner full on the lips.  He grinned against Rude’s mouth as the bald man returned the kiss with fervor.  Usually it took a little playing to get Rude to unwind for public necking—he was more reserved than the others when there was an audience.  Reno knew the X was working; at least on Rude.  He glanced out the corner of his eye at his other two companions sitting adjacent from he and Rude and he saw that Tseng was likewise becoming affected.  The raven-haired Turk was nibbling Rufus’ ear and the president was rubbing his thigh in response.

 

_~So far, so good.  When Rufus gets hit it’s gonna be on.~_

~*****************************~

* * *

 

It happened sooner than he expected.  After finishing the fully spiked glass of champagne, Rufus got to his feet unsteadily and announced that he was going to the bathroom.  He stumbled a bit and there was a glazed look in his gray eyes.  Reno felt faint concern as he watched his boss stagger to the bedroom as if in a trance.  

 

_~Fuck, don’t tell me this is going to end up with us in the emergency room getting the boss’s stomach pumped!~_

Rufus paused at the bar and poured himself a glass of ice water.  Reno relaxed, thinking that if he had the sense to re-hydrate he was going to be okay.  He heard Tseng chuckle and he turned to look at the dark-haired Turk.

“’Hope you enjoyed the ride,’” Tseng said as he lifted his glass to his lips for a sip.  He snickered and coughed on the champagne, his dark eyes flicking to Reno as he smirked.  It was so out of character that the redhead knew beyond a doubt he was tweaking. 

 

“Yeah, funny stuff man,” Reno grimaced, wincing with remembered discomfort, “Maybe you should cut back for a while after this one, yo?”

 

Tseng shrugged bonelessly and finished his drink.  He peered down at his tailored suite at the tent forming in the crotch of his pants.  “Hmm, interesting,” he pondered in a fascinated tone.  “Usually, alcohol makes it more difficult to get one of these.”  He snickered helplessly again and waved at his hard-on.

 

“You’re drunk,” Rude said with a burp.  His hand was rubbing Reno’s thigh as if it had a mind of its own.  “I think I am too, a little.  Horny as hell too…when is Strife gonna get here?”

 

“Another ten, twenty minutes I think,” Reno answered with a glance at his wristwatch.  “You getting impatient, baby?”  He squeezed Rude’s hardening groin and grinned with the dark-skinned Turk groaned and put an arm around him.

 

“Like you wouldn’t believe,” Rude said honestly.

 

Rufus came out of the bedroom toilet and stood in the doorway, peering at the Turks with an odd intensity in his eyes.  He also had a noticeable boner tenting the crotch of his designer white slacks and his expression was hot and impatient.  “Someone join me in the bedroom…now.”

 

Tseng and Rude both got to their feet anxiously, both men just as aroused and uninhibited as the president.  Reno watched as they hurried to join Rufus and when the boss’s smoky eyes settled on him, the redhead spread his hands.

 

“Someone’s got to get Strife trussed up nice and tight when he gets here, Sir.  Nobody can cuff a man faster than me.”  Reno grinned at his boss, knowing that Rufus was beyond the ability to feel suspicion now.

 

“Good point,” Rufus said.  He grabbed Tseng by his tie and yanked him into the room with him, grabbing Rude’s arm with his other hand.  The door slammed shut and it wasn’t long before Reno could hear all three men groaning and gasping with throaty pleasure.

 

“Damn, I’m good,” The redhead congratulated himself with a smile.

 

~*************************************~

* * *

 

Cloud was ready for a fight when he knocked on the door of the suite.  When Reno opened the door he relaxed a little.  “Where are they?” he asked, peering over the redhead’s shoulder with wary blue eyes.

 

“In the back bedroom, man.”  Reno looked him up and down, giving him one of his foxy grins.  “Like I said, I took care of it.  Come on in.”

 

Cloud hesitated and Reno sighed.  “Are you gonna be like this every time we run into each other?”

 

“Yes,” Cloud answered with a direct look at him.  “If that bothers you, maybe you should have thought of it before you tricked me.”

 

The Turk lowered his eyes.  “I guess I earned it.  Here, just have a listen and you can hear my buds going to town on each other, yo.”  He stepped aside to give Cloud room and the blonde stepped warily into the threshold and cocked his head to one side, listening to the muffled bangs and groans coming from the room in the back.

 

A smile slowly spread on Cloud’s lips, prompting Reno to grin as well.  “See?  Right now, the only thing on their minds is screwing each other.  Why don’t you come in and have a drink with me?”

 

Since Cloud hadn’t yet decided whether he wanted to do something else to Rufus and the others for attempting this on him and Reno was such a temptation, the blonde nodded once and walked through the doorway. 

 

“You want a mixed drink?” Reno asked as Cloud set his package down by the couch and sat down.

 

“Sounds good.”  Cloud twisted in his seat, too wary of Reno’s wily temperament to take his eyes off him while he was mixing the drinks.

 

The Turk paused at the bar, looking at the whiskey bottles.  He didn’t remember pulling the third bottle out but he knew that he’d drugged the one sitting next to the nearly empty bottle.  With a shrug, he selected the safe bottle and poured a drink for both he and Cloud.  He noticed the blonde’s stare and he chuckled.  “Baby, you don’t need any special boost.  I’m not interested in slipping you a mickey.”

 

He honestly couldn’t blame Cloud for his wariness, so he didn’t take offense when the blonde refused to stop watching him.  Smiling at the fighter, Reno approached and took a sip from both glasses to show that if he’d dropped anything in either one, he’d be getting it too.  “See?  Take your pick, Blondie.”

 

Cloud took the left-hand glass and sat stiffly as the redhead took a seat beside him and snuggled up to him.  He sipped his drink and closed his eyes as Reno leaned in and kissed him on the neck.  “I’m not here for that, remember?” Cloud said, trying to keep his voice from betraying the affect that Reno’s kiss had on him.  He leaned away from Reno and pulled the note he’d written out of his back jeans pocket.  “Here’s the letter to leave on the bar.  Hopefully Rufus and the others will blame it all on me.”

 

“So noble,” Reno teased, tonguing the skin under Cloud’s right ear.  He smirked when the blonde shivered in response.  “Can’t I get a kiss?”

 

Cloud turned his head and kissed him suddenly, taking him off guard only for a moment.  Reno was getting used to Strife’s quicksilver responses.  It was one of the things that made him so hot.  Their tongues dueled, sharing the taste of whiskey and soda.  Cloud broke the kiss abruptly, his breath heavy and his eyes smoldering. 

 

“That’s all I trust myself to give,” he said huskily.  He took a deep swallow of his drink and Reno did the same.  The sounds coming from the back room only made them more aware of the sight, feel and scent of one another.  Before long, they had both drained their glasses and Reno got up to pour a couple more.

 

“I can’t overdo it,” Cloud warned as the redhead mixed another round.  “I’ve still got to drive.”

 

“No ya don’t,” argued the redhead.  “I’ll book you a room here for the night.  No sense in you driving all the way back to Edge tonight.”

 

“You want to book me a room here,” Cloud repeated with a frown, “in the same hotel my would-be kidnappers are holing up?  You really ARE nuts.”

 

Reno grinned and winked at the blonde.  “They’d never think to look here, would they?  The closer you are, the less likely they are to find you, yo.”

 

Cloud furrowed his brow and wondered if he was becoming as twisted as Reno, because again the logic made a sort of odd sense to him.  “There’s still my bike,” he argued.

 

“There’s a parking garage, man,” Reno said with a little shake of his head.  “If you get too drunk they’ve got valet services to park your ride.”  He returned to the couch with the drinks and sank down beside him again.

 

“Still sounds like a pretty dumb risk to take, but I guess those guys aren’t going to be in any condition to cause me any trouble tomorrow morning.”  Cloud took the drink that the other man offered him and took a deep swallow.  He couldn’t take his eyes off of Reno and despite the fact that the men who had plotted to jump him were in the next room, he was feeling more relaxed by the moment.  Desire stirred his blood as he stared at the Turk, admiring his handsome features, pretty eyes and vivid hair.  He impulsively reached out to trace the tattoos that were high on Reno’s cheekbones, fascinated by them. 

 

“When did you get these, anyway?”  He asked.

 

Reno took another drink and lowered his eyes, unconsciously nuzzling his cheek against the blonde’s caressing hand.  “Back when I was initiated into the Turks.  It’s sort of symbolic, like those wolf head earrings you wear.  The boss said I reminded him of a fox and I got them as a symbol of loyalty to him.  It’s pretty personal…why the hell am I telling you this?”  He was smiling softly at Cloud, with a vulnerable look the blonde had never seen on his face before.

 

Cloud was enthralled with this new information.  He removed the elastic holding the redhead’s ponytail and combed his fingers through the freed locks.  “So soft,” he murmured, watching the shiny strands sift through his fingers.  He looked him in the eye and said; “So, you really do belong to Rufus.”

 

Reno laughed softly and put his hand over the blonde’s chest, feeling the heart beating strongly under his palm.  “I belong to myself first, yo.  I just…Rufus got me out of a bad rut and gave me a purpose.  I’m never gonna forget that, but I’ve got my own mind.”

 

“You’ve proved that,” Cloud agreed, putting his hand over the one on his chest.  They stared into each other’s eyes and drank in unison.  Cloud began to feel oddly light and he couldn’t stop admiring the way the overhead lights highlighted Reno’s features and hair.  He was just so beautiful and Cloud wondered how he’d ever be able to fight him again if it came down to it.  He was hardening in his pants and his desire for the Turk was growing steadily.

 

Reno was likewise fascinated with Cloud and becoming painfully aroused.  It wasn’t so unusual for his body to react easily to the blonde’s proximity and touch, but it was more powerful now than usual…almost as if an outside force was stroking his libido and…and…

 

Reno went still and looked down at his drained glass, staring at the melting ice cubes in the bottom of it.  “Ooooohhhh….Fuuuuuck.”  The light twinkled on the crystalline ice cubes and he stared at it with his mouth hanging open, trying to gather his thoughts. 

 

Cloud sobered a bit when he heard the low, drawn-out curse.  “’Oh fuck’, what?”  He saw the way the Turk stared at his empty glass and Cloud looked down at his own, feeling the world shift around him with the motion.  “Reno, what did you do?”

 

Reno dragged his eyes away from the glass and met Cloud’s.  For a minute he just stared, enthralled by the beautiful, vivid blue color of them.  “Don’t get pissed, yo.  I didn’t mean to,” he said sluggishly.  “Honest, this was an accident!”

 

“What the hell…did you serve us spiked liquor?” Cloud snapped—or at least, he tried to snap.  It came out as a lazy drawl and he realized that he couldn’t get pissed off now if he tried.  “Dammit, Reno,” he sighed, dropping his glass to the floor and resting his head on the other man’s shoulder.  “I’ve…I have to get out of here,” he mumbled, but the feel of the smooth skin of Reno’s neck against his lips was addictive and he started kissing and licking it impulsively.

 

“Maybe…it won’t hit you as hard,” Reno suggested breathlessly, arching his neck and stroking Cloud’s soft hair.  “You’re like superhuman, right?”

 

“Not against narcotics,” Cloud mumbled against the Turk’s neck.  He put his arms around him and drew him closer, desperate to feel every inch of him.  Some small part of his brain was shouting at him to snap out of it and get the hell out of this room before it was too late.  His need was greater than his common sense and he began fumbling with the buttons on Reno’s shirt.

 

“I dunno how this happened,” Reno pondered huskily, even as he drew the zipper down on Cloud’s sweater.  “I used the safe bottle!  I hadn’t put anything in it yet, so how—“

 

His contemplations were cut off as Cloud broke away and panted heavily, struggling to his feet.  “Where you going?” Reno asked as he watched the blonde stagger to the window.  “Cloud, what the fuck are you doing?”

 

“I’m getting outta here,” the fighter answered as he tried to get the window open.

 

“Through the goddamned WINDOW?  Blondie, think about what you’re doing, man…you ain’t in the condition to survive a drop that far!”  Reno got to his feet and hurried after Cloud, shaking his head against the odd sensations buzzing around in it.  He’d seen Cloud take dives that would kill ordinary men but not in this condition.  “If you don’t wanna stay, at least use the fucking elevator, moron!”  Even in his drugged, euphoric haze the redhead felt a dull thrill of terror at the thought of that beautiful body crushed and broken on the pavement.  He dove at Cloud and caught him around the waist.

 

The two entangled men tumbled to the floor.  Cloud landed on top of Reno and the Turk’s breath expelled in a whoosh of air.   
When they recovered from the fall their eyes locked and their gasping breath intermingled.  Cloud lowered his head and kissed Reno with surprising tenderness, drawing a soft moan from him.  The Turk ran his hands over Cloud’s back and spread his thighs, reveling in the feel of the blonde’s hips pressing between his legs.  The slow, unhurried kiss was a contrast to the eager way Cloud’s hands resumed their earlier task of undressing him. 

 

 _~This is crazy,~_ Cloud thought.  _~My head is so…swirly. Was I going to jump out the window?  All I can think about is him...I have to…have to~_  

 

He groaned against Reno’s mouth as the redhead slid a hand between their bodies and fondled his crotch.  “Reno,” he panted, yanking the other man’s shirt open and letting his mouth travel down his neck and chest.  He felt those talented hands ease his scabbard over his shoulder and he helped him, sliding his weapon away carelessly when it was removed.  His sweater came off next and Cloud had a moment of confusion.  Where were they, on the floor?  In some kind of suite?  He couldn’t pull his thoughts together to remember.

 

Someone’s shoe was thrown across the room—neither of them was sure whose it was.  A sock landed by the window, followed by a belt.  Another shoe was thrown with more force and there was the sound of glass shattering as it went through one of the big windows.  Neither of the two impassioned men paid attention to it. Reno barely had enough wits about him to fish a condom and lube packet out of his blazer before chucking it blindly over his head.  Cloud’s hands worked at his pants and the Turk raised his hips to help him take them off.  They ended up hanging by his left leg because that shoe was still on and Cloud didn’t have the patience to take it off.

 

Ironically, Cloud’s right shoe was still on, so his pants ended up pooled around that ankle.  “Oh god,” he groaned against Reno’s lips as the redhead yanked his underwear down and squeezed his cock.  He humped his companion’s gripping hand and sucked on his throat, leaving a prominent raspberry mark. 

 

“Gimme your fingers, baby,” Reno panted desperately, wanting to feel Cloud inside of him again as soon as he could.  The blond didn’t stop kissing and sucking his throat as he raised his left hand for Reno to lube up.  The Turk squeezed the lube onto the first two fingers and worked it over them skillfully, only needing one hand to do it.  He kept fondling Cloud’s erection as he finished and dropped the tube beside him.  Cloud lifted his hips and reached between the redhead’s legs, searching with his fingers.  Reno cried out when he penetrated him and Cloud had enough sense to take it slower, panting an apology to the other man.

 

“Is that better?” Cloud asked in a ragged voice, searching his companion’s face for signs of pain.

 

Reno licked his lips and smiled up at him.  “Boy scout,” he teased seductively, undulating in time with the blonde’s strokes.  He moaned as Cloud stroked his prostate and his cock bucked.  “Oh, that’s good…so good, Strife!”

 

Cloud kept doing it, enjoying the way the redhead whimpered and moaned with pleasure.  He closed his eyes and bit his lip as Reno’s stroking hand brought him closer to his peak.  “Might want to stop that for now,” he warned softly.  The Turk obliged and grabbed the condom package laying nearby, rotating his hips and gasping Cloud’s name even as he opened the packet to get the rubber out.

 

Cloud scissored his fingers inside of Reno’s body and held his hips still as the Turk struggled to get the condom on him.  The feel of the rubber being slid over his dick was more intense than usual and his eyes went blank with wonder.  “Oh, that’s…that’s…fuck!”  He had to take several deep breaths and force himself to stay still while Reno lubed him up.  The urge to plunge into the man spread out beneath him was almost too strong to ignore and he gasped in relief when Reno finished smearing the lube over his sex.

 

“Don’t make me wait anymore,” Reno begged as he embraced Cloud and pulled his legs up and back.  The blonde’s fingers slipped out of him and he hollered with shocked pleasure as his cock swiftly replaced them.  The initial thrust was firm and smooth, driving the engorged member all the way in to the hilt in one stroke.  “Cloud,” Reno cried, holding the blonde tightly and pressing his face against his chest.  The blonde began to pump with deep, slow thrusts and Reno thought he’d die from pleasure overload.

 

“I can’t…get you off of my mind,” Cloud rasped as he cupped the redhead’s ass and lifted it for a better angle and penetration.  As urgent as he felt, he took it slow because on some level he knew he wasn’t in his right mind and he didn’t trust himself to let go.  It was surprisingly intense to slide his cock in and out of Reno’s body at an unhurried pace.  He was enthralled with the sensations and the beautiful expression of lust and pleasure on his companion’s face.

 

Reno stared up at him and felt a dull throb of panic somewhere beneath the layers of drug-induced arousal.  The realization that this time, Strife was making love to him instead of just fucking him was frightening.  The way the fathomless blue eyes stared into his, the way he kept his thrusts slow and deep…it was an experience Reno hadn’t expected to have with this man.  Logically the X should have made Strife an even wilder lover than before but it seemed to be having an opposite affect on him and making him drop emotional inhibitions. 

 

“Fuck me hard,” Reno demanded breathlessly, telling himself he wasn’t really enjoying the tender lovemaking as much as he loved a good hard screw. 

 

Cloud kissed him, deeply and slowly.  His rhythm remained slow and consistent and his hands caressed his body with affectionate care.  Reno moaned again, helpless to cope with this side of the blonde.  Something painful and warm grew in his chest and he told himself it was just the drugs that made his vision blur with tears and his arms hug Cloud tight.  The thing was, ecstasy was supposed to make you feel bliss…not sentimental. 

 

Cloud noticed the tear that escaped when Reno closed his eyes and he kissed it away, unable to understand it.  “Is it hurting you?” he asked, wondering how it could possibly be doing so when he’d been so careful.

 

“No,” Reno gasped softly, looking up at him with utter confusion on his flushed face.  “Don’t stop, baby.  Feels…great.”

 

_~Shit, I’m in real trouble here…is this all a dream?  My head is so fucked up I don’t know what’s real and what isn’t anymore.~_

Reno’s confused thoughts became even more chaotic as Cloud’s careful pumping brought him to climax.  He swore he saw colors bursting behind his eyelids as he closed his eyes and moaned the blonde’s name in a shaken voice.

 

Cloud parted his lips and stared down at the Turk, groaning as his body clenched around his cock.  He came just as Reno finished, pulsing inside of him and tensing up all over.  When it finished, he relaxed on top of his companion and kissed him deeply while they caught their breath. 

 

“Right,” Reno gasped when the kiss ended, “so slow screws have made it on my list of things I like.  Good job, Blondie.”

 

Cloud was about to mumble that what he’d just done to Reno wasn’t “screwing” for once, but he suddenly felt another hand stroking his naked ass.  He stared down at the redhead in confusion.  “Reno…did you just grow another hand?”

 

“Nah, I’ve still just got the two,” the Turk replied in an equally confused voice as he patted Cloud’s back with both his hands.

 

Cloud turned his head and found himself looking at Rufus ShinRa, who was naked, in a state of arousal and smiling with blissful smugness at him. 

 

“Well, Strife…it seems my little fox didn’t count on me figuring out what he was doing.  I hope the two of you enjoyed getting your own medicine.”

 

Both Cloud and Reno stared open-mouthed at the president, hardly aware of Tseng and Rude approaching from behind and above them. 

 

“Oh, I’m not angry,” Rufus said with a fond glance down at Reno, “quite the contrary; this turned out better than I thought.  When I realized what was happening to us, I knew Reno was involved.  He seems to have a soft spot for you.”

 

Cloud tried to shake himself out of his stupor, glaring at Rufus even as he instinctively tried to shield Reno with his own body.  Rufus noticed and he smiled.  “It seems the soft spot goes both ways.  How…delightful.  You needn’t worry though.  Reno delivered you into my hands, even if he didn’t do it intentionally.  I put the extra whiskey bottle out before retiring to the bedroom, switching places with the previous bottle he set out in the hopes that he’d make a mistake like this.”

 

“Don’t you ever shut up?” Cloud said.  He was amazed that the man could speak so clearly even though it was clear by the dilated pupils of his eyes that he was still ever bit as influenced by the drug as they were.

 

“You’re right,” Rufus said as he smiled up at the other two Turks that were closing in.  “I agree that the time for talking is over.”  He leaned in, cupped Cloud’s head firmly and kissed him hard.  The blonde fighter tried to pull away but he was in an awkward position and his body responded to the thrust of the president’s tongue in his mouth shamefully.  He heard Reno gasp as he hardened inside of him again.

 

“Drugging us wasn’t cool,” Rude murmured to Reno as he crouched at the top of his head and looked down at him.  “You coulda’ just said something, man.”

 

Reno’s head was spinning and what started out as a fantastic dream was quickly becoming a nightmare.  Now his partners knew he’d betrayed them and the situation he’d been trying to avoid in the first place was going to happen anyway—all because he was thinking with his crotch and didn’t have the good sense to hustle his blonde lover out of here as soon as he dropped off the note.  Not that the note would have done any good, since Rufus figured out what was really happening before Cloud even arrived.

 

“Fuck, we’re in deep shit now, yo,” muttered the redhead.

 

“Nonsense,” Tseng corrected calmly.  “It worked out rather well, I think.”

 

Rufus was running his hands down Cloud’s back and buttocks hungrily and the blonde swordsman didn’t object.  Reno felt Strife’s sex twitch inside of him and he realized that the drugs, Cloud’s forbidden desires and his concern for his well-being were all factors.  The redhead swallowed, feeling his own groin pull taut again. 

 

“If he says ‘no’ even once—“ Reno started with a determined look at his boss.

 

“He won’t,” Rufus assured him as he slipped a lubricated finger into Cloud’s rectum. 

 

The fighter gasped softly and held still, his eyes staying on Reno.  The disoriented, blazing lust in those sapphire eyes told Reno that he was beyond objecting at this point.  Though everyone’s plans for the night had taken an odd twist, it seemed that Cloud was willing after all.  Reno doubted that his fellow Turks had any idea what sort of wolf they’d caught in their trap, though. 

 

~**********************************~

* * *

 

At first, Rufus had every intention of getting Cloud into the bedroom and taking him on his hands and knees.  Seeing the way he shifted on top of Reno and the way the redhead gasped, he decided on a different tactic. 

 

_~There’s no reason I can’t take Strife while he’s still inside of my fox.  Watching them together is too entertaining to resist.~_

Rufus continued to finger Cloud, appreciating the way the golden-blonde shivered and gasped and the way Reno answered the sounds beneath him.  He nodded to Tseng, not trusting himself to have enough control over his limbs to apply a condom one-handed.  The Wutaian Turk understood his wishes and went to fetch the box of condoms from the bedroom.  Meanwhile, Rude scooted closer to Reno’s head and bent forward to kiss him.

 

Cloud was confused and if he weren’t so painfully aroused he would have felt awkward.  The sight of Rude kissing Reno was insanely hot and he groaned and thrust into the redhead, panting.  Reno whimpered against Rude’s lips and the bald man stopped kissing him to kiss Cloud.  Unlike Reno, there was nothing coaxing, demure or teasing about Rude’s kiss.  His tongue plunged into the blonde’s mouth demandingly and Cloud noticed that it was longer than average.  He had little choice but to suck on it and the dark-skinned Turk cupped his jaw and made an appreciative sound deep in his throat.

 

Reno deftly reached up over his head, searching with his hand until he found Rude’s arousal.  He stroked it and Rude broke the kiss to gasp his approval, the tone of his voice saying that he forgave the redhead for drugging him.  Cloud’s mouth descended to Reno’s again and both men moaned as Rufus’ ministrations prompted the blonde to pump his hips in a rhythm he desired.

 

Tseng returned, carrying the condoms and lubricant.  He knelt beside Rufus and set the items on the floor before taking a condom out and slipping in over the president’s erection. 

 

 “Don’t come yet, Strife,” Rufus demanded when the panting blonde’s shuddering and groaning reached a peak he was familiar with.  He deftly slipped a hand under the young man’s pumping hips and located his erection, squeezing it firmly.  He smiled as Cloud groaned with helpless frustration, his groin throbbing with sympathetic need.  He pressed with his other fingers and rubbed the sensitive gland inside firmly, making Cloud arch his back and make a sound that was something between a whine and a growl.

 

“I’d like their position to be more…accessible,” Rufus said breathlessly, feeling like he would explode if he didn’t breach Cloud soon.  He remembered how tight the other blonde had been around him when he relieved his ass of its virgin status and he hissed with the effort to control himself.

 

Rude reluctantly put his hand over Reno’s to stop his massage on his dripping length and he grabbed the back of the redhead’s knees to lift them, while Tseng and Rufus guided Cloud to rise up and tuck his legs beneath him.  He grunted in protest when his dick slipped out of Reno’s body but Tseng soothed him with a promise that it was only temporary.  Rude lifted Reno further to angle his hips and bottom up and Rufus pushed against Cloud from behind and guided him back into the redhead’s body. 

 

“Ooooh….oh, fuck,” Reno cried, his head resting against one of his partner’s muscular thighs.  Cloud’s rigid sex slid firmly against his prostate as it entered him again.  He looked up to see Cloud kneeling between his widespread thighs, kissing Tseng hotly with Rufus looming behind him.  He saw the blonde’s eyes pop open wide and heard his muffled gasp as the president rocked against him, leaving no doubt that Rufus was taking him from behind while he took Reno.

 

The sheer, sinful hotness of the moment was enough to make Reno’s back arch and he would have shot his load if Tseng hadn’t sensed it coming.  The raven-haired man demonstrated his uncanny awareness and reached down to squeeze the base of Reno’s tightening cock firmly, denying him the screaming release he’d been on the verge of having.

 

“B-bastard,” complained the redhead in a ragged gasp as he narrowed his blue-green eyes on his superior.  Tseng gave him a sensual smile and went on kissing Cloud.

 

Rufus held steady inside of Cloud and closed his eyes for a moment, breathing heavily in an effort to calm down so that he wouldn’t spend himself too soon.  Cloud tried to start thrusting but Tseng murmured gently to him and splayed his free hand over the blonde’s lower abdomen, his long fingers spanning between the pelvic bones.  Amazingly, Cloud stilled and panted against Tseng’s caressing lips.  That was another talent of Tseng’s; he could calm, soothe and instruct even wild animals with a touch and a soft murmur, and Cloud was driven by animal instincts right now. 

 

Rufus smiled crookedly at Tseng, realizing on some level that if the Wutaian weren’t here, Cloud would probably be in a wild, unstoppable frenzy by now.  He marveled at the man’s mysterious abilities even as he was thankful for them. 

 

_~I really should have included Tseng in the first effort to seduce Cloud.  It probably would have turned out much differently.  Ah well, we have him now.  If only my damned vision would stop flickering with rainbows…~_

The thought was brief and he shrugged it off, because Rufus felt he’d calmed enough to continue.  Still squeezing the root of Cloud’s erection to keep him from coming before he was ready to allow it, Rufus began to thrust.  The golden-haired fighter’s harsh moan was gratifying on an epic level and Rufus groaned, releasing his own cock to cup Cloud’s left hip and guide them.  Reno gave a sharp gasp as the swordsman began to pump with Tseng and Rufus’ guidance.  It was simple, really—it only required some synchronization.  When Cloud withdrew, Rufus thrust, so that with every motion the fighter was either driving his cock into Reno or driving the president’s cock into his own ass.

 

Caught up in carnal pleasure, Cloud moved his hips mechanically and made sounds that would have shocked him if he were in his right mind.  The sensations crippled his logic and reason, while Tseng’s calm, meaningless murmurs and kisses cooled his aggression and encouraged him to just feel and enjoy it.  Reno’s moaning cries and whimpers contrasted with the Wutaian’s soothing voice, stimulating the aggression lurking beneath the surface.  At odds with the conflicting urges fighting inside of him, Cloud tossed his head and broke into a sweat, panting fast and hard.  His right hand cupped Reno’s hip and his left reached out and down to fondle Tseng between the legs.  The black-haired Turk’s soft moan of pleasure was very uke-ish and Cloud growled in response and kissed him hard.

 

Reno had maneuvered his hand and turned his head against Rude’s thigh.  The bald man groaned his partner’s name as he felt his tongue lick the side of his cock.  He couldn’t help him position his mouth better due to his hands being occupied holding him in position, but he was able to shift his legs and tilt his hips so that the redhead could get a decent hold on his length and guide it into his hot, wet mouth.  As Reno’s lips closed around his girth and slid down, Rude muttered a curse.  He felt the deft fingers squeeze him and he swore more vehemently, wanting to sob with frustration.

 

_~Fuck, it’s a good thing the boss didn’t have time to bust out the toys.  This is almost too much to take!~_

 

Cloud would never have thought it was possible for this many guys to get each other off all at the same time.  Then again, he’d never imagined himself fucking Reno while being simultaneously fucked by Rufus ShinRa.  The young president’s firm thrusts increased in speed and Cloud felt compelled to match it. 

 

Tseng’s panting mouth still murmured to Cloud—though breathlessly—discouraging his aggression from surfacing somehow.  He heard the Wutaian’s breath catch and felt his cock pulse in his hand—then everything happened in bizarre synchronization on some silent signal between the Turks. 

 

Rufus bucked sharply into Cloud’s body and released the base of the fighter’s dick.  Tseng released Reno’s and Reno released Rude’s.  The final shove against his prostate made Cloud’s vision blur and he groaned raggedly as he came.  His ass clenched around Rufus’ invading hardness and he felt it spasm inside of him.  Reno screamed a string of expletives and produced a sporadic fount of cum that reached impressive heights while Rude twitched so hard he slipped out of Reno’s mouth and got it in his hair.

 

“Yo,” Reno panted angrily, “watch the hair, dammit!”

 

“Sorry,” Rude grunted, unable to stop his orgasm.

 

“Fuck, now I’ve gotta wash it.”  It was amazing how the redhead could be angry even in the afterglow of a climax and under the influence of booze and euphoria drugs.

 

“Hey, you must be psychic,” Rude panted with a grin,  “You brought that shampoo.”

 

Reno looked up at his gasping partner and gritted his teeth.  “’Cause I ALWAYS end up with someone’s spunk in my hair, yo!”

 

Even through his haze of pleasure and release, Cloud found the dialog between the two Turks to be almost as surreal as what he’d just experienced.  He felt Rufus slip out of his body and he grunted a little at the feeling, twisting his head around to regard him with disoriented blue eyes.  He was taken by surprise when the other man cupped his face and kissed him softly.  It was such a contrast to his demanding actions from earlier that he couldn’t react.  Rufus’ fingers combed through his hair and he pulled back to look at him.  His eyes were still just as dilated as Cloud’s but he seemed to have a greater tolerance to the mind-numbing affect of the drug.

 

“Why don’t you lay down in the bed, Cloud?  You look a bit dizzy.”

 

Even in his stupefied state, the fighter didn’t trust the president enough to believe he cared how he was feeling.  He swallowed and spoke with effort, trying to ignore the way everything seemed to blur around the edges.  “I’m going.”

 

At first, Rufus thought he was agreeing, but when Cloud struggled shakily to his feet and started to stumble in the opposite direction from the bedroom, his smugness vanished and he was puzzled.  “Strife, the bedroom is the other way,” he called.

 

Reno twisted out of Rude’s hold and sat up with alarm.  “Keep him away from the window, yo!  He’s got some kind of fixation with dramatic exits.”

 

Rude—being the most heavily built of the group—was recovering faster than the others and he got to his feet with minimal trouble and caught up with Cloud before he could get to the window.  Just as the blonde stepped down on a shard of broken glass from the shattered window, the muscular Turk caught him and turned him around to face him. 

 

“You’re not leaving in your condition…especially not that way,” he said firmly.

 

“I think…my foot’s bleeding,” Cloud said with a frown, his eyes unfocused and vague.

 

Rude glanced down and saw a small pool of blood spreading under the blonde’s right foot. 

“Shit.”

 

He scooped Cloud up easily, sweeping one arm under his legs and holding him around the shoulders with the other.  He was surprised that a guy with Strife’s strength could weigh so little even though his frame wasn’t heavily built.

 

 _~Damn, he really is cute,~_ Rude thought as the blonde stared up at him with confused sapphire eyes and parted lips.  _~When he’s not reading us the riot act, he kind of looks doll-ish…like Reno.  No wonder Red’s so stuck on him.~_

“Did…that all really happen?” Cloud murmured thickly, frowning in concentration.

 

“Yeah.  You’re just confused ‘cause you’re in the middle of an X tweak,” Rude explained as he carried the blonde to the bedroom.  “It’ll wear off.” 

 

Tseng had already noticed Cloud’s injury and he’d gotten the first aid kit out of the bathroom and put it on the bed.  Reno stumbled in ahead of Rude and pulled the covers back.  He’d wiped most of Rude’s semen out of his hair but a couple of spots were sticking up more stiffly than the rest because some of it had dried in it. 

 

Rufus was the only one who had put some clothes back on and he stood by the fire pit in his pants, watching with contemplative eyes as Rude lowered Strife onto the bed and left his lower legs dangling over the side.  The president’s focus wasn’t on Cloud but on Reno, who climbed onto the bed next to Cloud and watched with anxiety he couldn’t quite mask as Tseng doctored the injury in the blonde’s foot.

 

“Do we need to get him to a doctor?” Reno asked softly.

 

Tseng carefully wiped the bottom of the injured foot off and examined the cut.  “No, there’s no glass in the wound and it isn’t very deep.  I’ll put some antiseptic on it and bind it.  With his Mako enhancements, it should close on its own by morning.”

 

Cloud mumbled something about Tonberries and yawned.  Reno grinned at him and combed his golden bangs out of his eyes.  The gesture was tender in a way that was normally reserved for Rufus, Rude or Tseng.  The president felt his urgency to convince Strife to join his team increase.

 

~**********************************~

* * *

 

Cloud couldn’t say when he fell asleep but he awoke sometime after midnight to the feel of silken hair caressing his chest.  He murmured and immediately assumed it belonged to Reno.  He felt the pads of fingers gently massaging his temples and he sighed with pleasure, catching the scent of some sort of essential oil.  He was half-asleep and still disoriented, so at the moment it didn’t occur to him to be concerned.  All he knew was that the skilled touch was easing away the throbbing headache behind his eyes.

 

“Feels good,” he sighed in appreciation.  He felt the weight of the other man straddling him and he reached out to put his hands on his thighs.  He rubbed the smooth skin, feeling fine hairs against his palms.  Cloud frowned.  True, he hadn’t had ample opportunity to explore Reno’s body as much as he’d like, but the muscles in the thighs he was stroking felt a little thicker and shorter than they should.  He opened his eyes slowly and looked up to see not Reno, but Tseng sitting comfortably on top of his pelvis.

 

“Oh, hell,” the blonde muttered as his head cleared and he remembered where he was and what had happened.  He quickly took in his surroundings and found that he was in a huge circular bed, with Reno curled up naked beside him.  His hair looked a little damp and smelled like it had recently been washed.  Rude sprawled out horizontally over the foot of the bed, snoring softly on his back.

 

“No need for alarm,” Tseng whispered, not ceasing his massage of the blonde’s temples.  “I’m only nursing your headache.  You complained, even in your sleep.  I gave Reno and Rude the same therapy earlier.”

 

“Where’s Rufus?”  Cloud’s voice wasn’t as aggressive as he wanted it to be, due to the Wutaian’s incredible massage skills draining his tension.

 

Tseng looked at him impassively.  “You don’t have to worry about him.  He went home, soon after we got you into bed.”

 

Cloud’s lips thinned.  “That chickenshit.  Let me guess—he took my sword and clothes with him, right?”

 

Tseng shook his head, making his shiny hair catch the dimmed light of the wall-panels.  “No.  Your belongings are in the front room.  You can leave when you like.  Rufus…has a lot to think about, I’m afraid.”

 

Cloud stared up at him and battled inwardly, trying to decide what he should do.  Rufus was nowhere in sight and the Wutaian’s ministrations did feel wonderful.  Cloud flushed as he watched the man that straddled him.  Like Reno and Rude, he didn’t have a stitch of clothing on and his body was proportioned with a swimmer’s build.  His black hair hung loose over his shoulders and down his back and his equally black eyes stared directly into Cloud’s.  His eyes were almond-shaped with thick, sooty lashes.  His skin was a creamy, light golden tint and his lips were full and shapely.  Like Reno, Tseng possessed exceptional beauty and Cloud swallowed as he wondered why he’d never stopped to appreciate it before.

 

_~Probably because I’ve never seen him in this light before, just like Reno.  When we weren’t busy being rivals we were busy fighting bigger enemies than each other.~_

He glanced down at Rude and smirked.  He’d always thought Rude was good-looking in a more rugged way but now he could see how well he was hung, too.  The bald man’s cock lay soft against his light brown thigh and it was almost as big in repose as Cloud’s was when it was hard.  A thatch of sable pubic hair framed the impressive groin in an upside down triangular pattern, save for the tapering line that trailed to his navel.

 

“Rufus sure can pick ‘em, I’ll give him that,” Cloud muttered, still feeling a little muzzy-headed.  He winced as he felt a dull throb in his foot.

 

“Pardon?” Tseng inquired politely.

 

“His Turk harem,” Cloud shrugged, his anger rising again. 

 

“His family,” Tseng corrected softly.  He released Cloud’s temples and took his left hand.  He reached for a bottle of oil sitting beside him, dabbed a bit on the webbing between the blonde’s thumb and forefinger and then replaced the cap on the bottle.  Cloud stared in puzzlement as the Turk pressed down on either side of the anointed spot with his thumb and forefinger and began to rub in a circular motion.  It was strangely soothing and the blonde felt his headache fade even further.

 

“He’s got a weird notion of ‘family’,” Cloud grumbled, finding it hard to stay focused on his anger with such a pleasant, relaxing thing being done to him.  In contrast to the soothing feel of the massage, his groin began to tighten against Tseng’s thigh and he found himself admiring the shape and coloring of Tseng’s half-erect cock.  Interestingly, the raven-haired Turk had no visible pubic hairs and Cloud assumed he either shaved or waxed.  That little fact had escaped him during the…jumble…earlier because he wasn’t very observant at the time.

 

_~What the hell am I doing?  I should be letting loose seven shades of hell on these guys and going out the door but I’m sitting here letting Tseng sit on me and rub my hands??~_

 

 “And how would you define a normal family, Cloud?”  Tseng glanced up at him, smiled quietly and looked down again.  The question was patient, curious and not at all sarcastic.

 

Cloud struggled with the question and finally realized that he didn’t really have a leg to stand on.  “I guess I can’t,” he whispered, blue eyes flickering with thought.  The family he’d formed wasn’t normal and his relationship with his own mother had never been close. 

 

Tseng smiled serenely again.  “Most would define the ideal family as traditional,” he released Cloud’s left hand and took his right, giving it the same treatment, “but that all depends on whose traditions we cling to, don’t you think?”

 

_~Whoa, this guy is…I never really talked to him like this before.  I wonder if he’s so good at making headaches go away because he can cause them by making people think too much.~_

 

“So what are your opinions on a good family, Tseng?” Cloud wondered.

 

The Turk leaned forward until their faces were only inches apart.  “I believe that any family is only as good as their devotion to one another.  Whether it’s a family we’re born into or one we form on our own, the strength of the unit is only as good as each members’ loyalty.”

 

Cloud glanced sidelong at Reno and frowned.

 

“Oh, don’t worry about him,” Tseng assured him.  “Reno is the…mischievous child in our family, so to speak.  Incidentally, that’s always been part of his charm and it’s why he’s a favorite.”

 

“If Rufus hurts him because he tried to help me, he’ll wish he was dead,” Cloud promised, his blue eyes flaring with sudden emotion.

 

The quiet outburst gave Tseng pause and he studied Cloud with great interest.  He kept studying him until the blonde flushed and regretted his passionate threat.  “What?  I don’t like people getting hurt for trying to do the right thing, dammit.”

 

Tseng smiled knowingly and moved on to massage the spot just above Cloud’s elbow, walking his fingers along the pressure points.  “Is it only that, I wonder?  Or could it be…loyalty?”

 

Cloud frowned at the Turk.  “Now you’re just screwing with my head.”

 

Tseng chuckled softly.  “I wouldn’t want to be an impolite host, Cloud.  I’ll stop, but I hope I’ve given you food for thought.”

 

Cloud sighed and understood what Tseng was hinting at.  “I love the family I already have,” he murmured.  “Even if it were different, I can’t stand Rufus.  Physical attraction to him doesn’t make me like him any better and I can’t be with someone I don’t like, in any way.  Not as his employee, not as his lover, not even as his friend.  You understand?”

 

Tseng nodded slowly, never pausing his skillful kneading.  “Understood.”

 

Seeing that Tseng at least could be reasoned with, the blonde persisted, “He’s got to stop this bullshit.  Use those Zen powers of yours or whatever they are to convince him to quit stalking me.  If someone doesn’t wean him away from his schemes it’s going to get very ugly and very brutal.”

 

Seeing the cold promise in the blonde’s eyes, Tseng had no doubt of that.  “If I don’t see him wavering from his course, I’ll speak with him about it and tell him you aren’t for him,” Tseng murmured as he switched to Cloud’s other arm and eased the pressure points there.  “At the very least, you can trust me in that.”

 

Cloud relaxed further, believing him.  He felt a moment of regret because there was obviously something more to Rufus than he’d seen so far.  How else could he have gotten such a group of varied, loyal and ultimately fascinating people to follow him?  If he hadn’t resorted to such dirty tricks, Cloud might have eventually seen it too.  He supposed he’d never really know the real Rufus ShinRa, but after these last stunts, he really didn’t want to.

 

Tseng finally finished and he smoothly got off of Cloud, put the bottle of oil on the floor and stretched out beside him.  The blonde was surprised but not objective when Tseng pressed intimately up against him and rested his head on his shoulder.  He stroked the other man’s silken black hair and whispered, “Thanks.”

 

“Perhaps sometime in the future, you and I could enjoy one another’s company in a more private setting,” Tseng whispered back.  He nuzzled the blonde’s jaw and the sheet covering Cloud from the waist-down tented.

 

“Uh…we’ll see,” Cloud answered uncertainly.  He certainly liked Tseng more now that he’d had this talk with him and he was definitely attracted to him, but he was already loving the close contact and sense of intimacy of sleeping with three of them way too much.  It didn’t help when Reno mumbled in his sleep and cuddled closer to him on the other side, breathing against his ear.  Rude responded to his partner’s mumble and rolled in his sleep.  Cloud found himself sandwiched between Reno and Tseng, with Rude lying halfway across his thighs.

 

For a long while, Cloud Strife stared up at the immaculate white ceiling of the bedroom and thought about what it would be like if he were to ever get past his distaste for Rufus’ games and see whatever his sleeping companions saw in him.  He wondered what it would be like to sleep with such relaxed, easy contact and affection the way these three men did.  He finally closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of being included in their circle, even if it was only temporary.  It occurred to him that this was the first time he’d had an encounter with Reno in which he was given the opportunity to hold him afterwards, and he nuzzled the redhead’s hair and sighed as he drifted off to sleep.

 

~*************************************~

* * *

 

When Cloud woke up the next morning, his cheek was pillowed on Reno’s bare ass.  He raised his head, admired the view and then froze.  Tseng’s arm was around his waist and Rude was on the other side of Reno, with his arm stretched over the redhead and his hand resting comfortably on Cloud’s shoulder.  The blonde cast a quick look around the room and relaxed a little when he didn’t see Rufus lurking in any corners.

 

_~I still can’t believe what happened last night…but I’m more irritated at these guys than mad at them.  It was that asshole Rufus’ plan and the Turks are…well…I still can’t figure out why but they’re like his Soldiers or something.  Reno’s the only one reckless enough to go against his orders.~_

Thinking of Reno and how the redhead’s attempt to help him had backfired, Cloud studied him.  He was lying on his stomach with his arms crossed under the pillow.  His vivid hair was spread out over his creamy shoulders and back, a little tangled but free of its ponytail and clean.  He remembered something about Rude coming in Reno’s hair at the end of the night and he flushed, figuring the redhead must have had a shower some time after the combo of alcohol and ecstasy knocked Cloud out.  He reached out slowly and ran his fingertips over Reno’s cheek, tracing the tattoo’d mark curving over the top of the cheekbone briefly.  Reno stirred a little and Cloud pulled his hand away, not wanting to wake him.

 

Deciding that it would be better not to linger, Cloud carefully disentangled himself from the Turk’s limbs and the sheets to crawl out of bed.  He left the bedroom silently and found his clothing neatly folded on one of the couches in the lounge room, with his sword lying next to the pile.

 

_~Hmph, I guess Tseng really did tell me the truth.  That massage and talk was about as weird as the mess that happened before it.  Funny though…my ass doesn’t hurt.  Did Tseng do something while I was out?~_

Given that he’d woken up to a temple massage and a bandaged foot, it didn’t seem unlikely to Cloud that the mysterious Wutaian applied something to his butt to keep it from being sore after…all of that.  He blushed as he smelled the scent of sex all over himself.  He had a long way to travel and there were no places to stop on the way to shower.  Biting his lip, he looked back at the bedroom door he’d come out of. 

 

“What the hell,” he sighed, starting toward it with his clothing and weapon in hand.  He tip-toed through the bedroom to the bathroom and locked the door behind him, taking advantage of the shower and hoping it didn’t wake the Turks.  When he finished and got dressed, he fished his keys out of his jacket and left.  The three Turks were still snoozing soundly and Cloud wondered for a moment how much it was going to cost them to pay for the window he’d accidentally smashed (he still couldn’t remember how that happened but he knew he was somehow responsible for it).

 

Cloud breathed a sigh of relief when he made it outside and found his bike still parked at the curb, undisturbed and without a parking ticket.  He started toward it but paused when he saw an object lying on the sidewalk next to Fenrir, surrounded by shards of glass that sparkled in the morning sun.  Having a feeling of what it was, he walked to it and couldn’t help but grin a little when his suspicions were confirmed.  He looked up at the building he’d spent the night in and sighed.

 

“Least I can do is bring it up to him before I go.”

 

~****************************************~

* * *

 

“Where’s my fucking SHOE?!”

 

Tseng and Rude were both searching for Reno’s missing clothing article, if only because they feared that Reno would clock one of them accidentally if his temper took him to the point where he’d start flinging his Electro-Mag Rod around wildly.  He was uncharacteristically disappointed when he woke up to find Cloud already gone like a ghost.  When he couldn’t find his right loafer his mood went from sulky to enraged.

 

“Calm down, we’re trying to find it,” Tseng called as he lifted the couch cushions one at a time.  To Rude, he said; “He’s inordinately upset that Cloud left before he could say goodbye.”

 

“I think he’s pissed at the boss too,” Rude grunted as he laid down flat on the floor to check under the stereo system. 

 

“Probably,” agreed Tseng.  He put the cushions back where they were and turned to the broken window, studying it thoughtfully.  Reno came out of the bedroom with his hair still hanging unbound and his shirt unbuttoned. 

 

“Yo, find it yet?” The redhead asked.

 

“Possibly,” Tseng said as he narrowed his eyes on the shattered window.  “This window breaking was what drew us out of the bedroom to find you and Strife on the floor last night.  How did it break in the first place?”

 

Reno furrowed his brow, trying to remember.  “Uh…oh yeah…I think Blondie tried to take the quick way out when we realized we both got a dose of the good stuff too.”

 

“He tried to kill himself?” Rude asked with a grimace of disbelief.

 

“Nah, he was just trying to get out of here fast,” Reno answered.

 

_~Damn you Rufus…call it a day, already!~_

Swallowing his anger and the first real doubts he’d ever had about his boss, the redhead followed his companions to the broken window and whistled softly.  “That’ll cost us.”

 

Tseng peered down at the street below, the wind lifting his long black hair.  “I can see Strife’s bike parked in the road, but there’s no sign of him.”

 

Reno leaned over and looked for himself.  His heart leaped annoyingly at the sight of Fenrir and the memory of his first amazing encounter with Cloud rushed into his mind.  “Yeah, that’s Blondie’s bike.  Maybe he’s eating breakfast downstairs or something, yo.”

 

Reno entertained thoughts of rushing down to the lobby and looking for Cloud, even if he got a few stares for having only one shoe.  He throttled the urge and reminded himself that what he had with Strife wasn’t the same as what he had with his fellow Turks and Rufus…and it probably never could be as long as the boss was jealous or had designs on him. 

 

Someone knocked on the door and the three Turks frowned at each other.  “Damn, what now?” Reno grumbled as he crossed the room to answer it.  He couldn’t stop his eyes from widening with surprise when he pulled the door open and found Cloud Strife leaning casually against the frame, dangling a familiar loafer in his hand.

 

“You dropped this,” Cloud said with a little smirk.  “Thought I’d bring it back to you before I drove home.”

 

Reno tried to contain a grin and failed.  “Thanks, man.  We were looking all over for it.  Where’d you find it, yo?”

 

“On the sidewalk, near Fenrir,” answered the blond with amused sapphire eyes.  “Any idea how that happened?  I’m a little fuzzy.”

 

Reno took the shoe and put it on his foot, snorting softly.  “I’m pretty sure you threw it through the window, Blondie.”  He reached out and squeezed the fighter’s jacket-covered bicep.  “No wonder our cuffs can’t hold you.  Anyone that can throw a leather loafer through a window…damn, that makes me hot!”

 

Cloud felt his face heating as he spotted Rude and Tseng smirking in the room behind Reno.  “Haven’t you had enough yet?” he murmured.

 

“Not a chance,” Reno purred back, promptly stepping through the doorway and shutting it behind him.  “How about a kiss goodbye, Blondie?”

 

Cloud stared into his eyes for a moment before cupping the back of his head and claiming his lips.  It was intense and brief, but enough to make Reno harden in his disheveled trousers.  When it ended, he felt a little sad. 

 

“Guess I’ll see you around sometime,” Cloud murmured, his eyes locking with his briefly and revealing more than simple lust.

 

“Yeah…see you around,” Reno answered.  His heart sank to his newly retrieved loafer.  The truth was, he might not get to see him around except as adversaries again.  Their brief, intense exploration of each other was probably coming to an end, because Reno knew that Cloud wouldn’t have Rufus and the president wouldn’t give up on having Cloud.  He couldn’t defend one without betraying the other. 

 

_~It’d be so much easier if I didn’t fucking care about you, Blondie.~_

~*************************************~

* * *

 

Cloud returned to Edge and Reno returned to work.  The former tried to forget about Tseng’s words and the one part of the drug-induced encounter he remembered clearly: the exquisite feeling of joining with Reno without urgency, aggression or restraint and the look on the Turk’s face as he did it.  The latter was likewise trying to forget that same branded memory while also trying to crush his feelings of anger and disappointment with his boss, all the while trying to also crush his feelings of affections for Cloud, too.

 

Rufus sensed Reno’s anger with him and when he asked how Strife was the next day, he saw the first spark of blatant rebellion in his Fox’s sea-green eyes for the first time since he’d taken him in.

 

“He’s doing his thing,” Reno said with narrowed eyes.  “What are you gonna order me to do next, maybe kidnap his orphans or rough up the barmaid he’s living with?  Sir.”

 

He may as well have spat the word “Sir”, and it cut Rufus like a knife.

 

“You’re angry with me,” the president stated.

 

Reno looked to his left and didn’t answer.  His lithe frame was tense and for the first time, Rufus thought he might actually consider using that rod of his to attack him if he suggested any further nefarious schemes concerning Cloud Strife.  Rufus sighed heavily, finally accepting what he’d been struggling to prevent.  If there was one thing he couldn’t stand that he’d never admit aloud, it was seeing Reno unhappy.

 

“I’ve been doing some thinking, Reno,” he said slowly, dragging the words out of from buried corners of his humanity, “Wolves aren’t meant to be tamed.”

 

Reno looked at him with wary surprise on his face, catching the reference because he’d compared Cloud to a wolf and shared that impression with Rufus when the president had convinced him to talk about his encounter with Strife.

 

Rufus looked up at him with unusually soft eyes.  “And maybe, neither are foxes.”

 

Reno furrowed his auburn brows.  “Sir?” He wasn’t sure where this was going.

 

Rufus held his gaze.  “Look into my eyes, Reno.  You always could always tell when I was lying to you.  I’m saying…if he means that much to you, I’ll leave Strife alone—at least, so long as he doesn’t get in the way of business.  I won’t try to recruit him anymore and I won’t pursue him anymore.  I’ll also do my best to curb my jealousy toward him.  He’s all yours.”

 

Reno blinked and stared at the other man.  “Seriously?  You’re not just setting up for another game, yo?”

 

Rufus shook his head.  “As I said, look into my eyes, Fox.  I think in this matter, the time for games and jealousy is over.  If it will make you happy, this is what I’ll do.”

 

Reno studied him warily for a few moments but there was nothing in the ash-blonde man’s eyes to suggest deception.  It was a rare occurrence but there was no doubting it when Rufus allowed his affection to show.  Reno slowly smiled and Rufus scooted back in the office chair and gestured invitingly, rather than commandingly.  The redhead took the invitation and circled the desk, settling into his boss’s lap and kissing him languidly.  He didn’t know how else to express his gratitude and Rufus hadn’t suggested a desire for sexual favors.  The president stroked his hair and Reno kissed him again.

 

~********************************~

* * *

 

After Reno left to go on an assignment, Rufus put his head in his hands.  The door to the private bathroom in the back of his office opened and he was glad for Tseng’s presence. 

 

“Nothing really lasts, does it?” Rufus inquired softly when he felt the other man’s hand rest on his shoulder from behind.  He reached up and placed his own hand over it.

 

“Everything lasts,” Tseng countered smoothly, “but not always in the same form.  I’m relieved that you thought this through, sir.  Your efforts to keep Reno close to you through the recruitment of Strife would have only pushed him away in the end.  He’s ever sought your approval and now that he has it, his love for you won’t die.”

 

 “His love for this organization may, if he has Strife influencing him,” Rufus argued with an unhappy frown.  He hated the thought of losing any of his Turks, but Reno…oh, Reno was something special.  When he began to see the way his Fox was drawn to the Wolf, he thought the best thing to do would be to draw the Wolf into his family, to ensure the Fox would stay.  It backfired on all accounts and his efforts were only making things worse.

 

Tseng crouched over Rufus and combed his fingers through his pale hair, comforting him as he did when his father was still alive and running ShinRa Inc.  “Rufus, Cloud is a love interest, but we are Reno’s family.  Have faith in him.  Also, have faith in Cloud’s ability to love something without trying to change it.  My talk with him convinced me that while he may bring about a slight change in Reno’s moral fiber, he won’t attempt to rethread it.  He would be changing the very things he finds most alluring about him, if he did.”

 

Rufus took some comfort in the Wutaian’s words.  Tseng was rarely mistaken when it came to reading men’s spirits.  The president rested his head on Tseng’s shoulder.  “I hope you’re right, Tseng.  Stay with me tonight, will you?”

 

“Of course,” The dark-haired Turk answered softly, nuzzling his young superior’s hair with affection.

 

~*************************************~

* * *

 

-The End

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
